The first Formula E race at Portland International Raceway offered a significantly different challenge to the teams and drivers from the series’ typical street course events, which offer more chances to recover energy with slow, 90-degree bends. The nature of the track made conserving momentum and managing energy for the all-electric race cars critical.

Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy measured his race to perfection starting from P10 on the grid, hitting the front by the third lap, after the strategic battle for top spot was clear from the opening lap as positions and race leaders changed corner by corner in groups five and six wide at points, resulting in 403 passes during the race. Cassidy led several times before making a decisive move to the front past the TAG Heuer Porsche of António Felix da Costa on the 28th of the 32 laps — only a few turns after the Portuguese had seized the initiative.

“That race was fun,” said Cassidy, after holding off polesitter Jake Dennis, who also made his way past da Costa on the final lap, by 0.294s. “Look it’s close. The guys we’re racing are top. Jake did an amazing job in quali. I think he was unlucky to be starting on pole — today wasn’t the race to be doing that. And António is always fantastic in the3se races as well. It’s close, it’s fun — it’s Formula E.”

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For Dennis, who emerged from the race as the new world championship leader by a single point over Cassidy, it was a balance of pluses and minuses.

“Yeah we had a good day. I think after the flag I was a little bit disappointed, just because the way the race panned out,” admitted the Avalanche Andretti driver. “It was really, really difficult. Nevertheless, we got P2. There was some really difficult overtakes to be had. There are some guys fighting for the championship and other guys with nothing to lose. A race like today is all about risk. I just had to keep my powder dry and come home with an undamaged car and I knew I could get a good result.

OVERTAKING CHAOS 🤯

Here's how those final few laps unfolded for our podium finishers 👀@Southwire #PortlandEPrix pic.twitter.com/4UMCHpciSJ

— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) June 25, 2023

“Me and Nick are really fighting for the championship. It’s just who takes the most risk. Some of those moves on António were brave and he did a really good job there. I obviously did António right on the last lap and I just about got through (for the win). I’m looking forward to having that race behind me now and getting to Rome where it’ll be a bit more normal and pole will actually be a benefit.”

In terms of the fan reaction, eco-friendly Portland appeared to respond well to Formula E, with the event selling out its available tickets and a crowd of more than 20,000 reported for the event.

“When I came onto the track this morning, I was not expecting the turnout from all these guys. This is big. You guys like IndyCar, you like NASCAR, to see this support for Formula E is insane so thanks for coming out, it’s really, really cool.” said third-place finisher da Costa from the podium. “I thought that was a great show, to be honest — there was a lot going on.”

The series bolstered the American flavor for the event with appearances by cheerleaders from the Portland Trail Blazers NBA team and its first-year forward, Jabari Walker. Olympic champion skier Lindsey Vonn was also embedded with the Jaguar TCS Racing team and experienced a high-speed electric lap of the track.

American rapper, singer and fashion designer Jaden Smith also got involved for the series’ U.S. round, providing his own unique livery design for a Formula E show car displayed in the Allianz Fan Village before the race.

“I have such a connection with Formula E,” said Smith. “I absolutely loved coming back for my second E-Prix, even more being able to design my own Gen3 livery. It’s such an incredible platform to express myself and my passion for innovation. Seeing it come to life was unreal.

“I believe we all need to give back to the world and create our own sustainable future. That’s where Formula E is leading the charge. They prove it can be done in a thrilling way which showcases innovation, technology and outrageous racing. That’s really exciting to me. I’m all in. I can’t wait to be back.”

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Nissan’s Norman Nato led the second and final practice session before qualifying for the inaugural ABB Formula E World Championship race at Portland International Raceway. The Frenchman set a time of 1m09.101s, fractionally slower than the top lap set by FP1 pace-setter Rene Rast — driving for customer Nissan powertrain team NEOM McLaren — in the opening session on the Oregon road course.

Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther finished FP2 in second, the young German driver aiming to replicate his victory last time out in Jakarta. Jaguar TCS Racing’s Sam Bird had a late start to the session, but ended up third when the checkered flag was waved.

Rast would eventfully finish the 30-minute session in fourth, with the DS Penske of Jean-Eric Vergne rounding up the top five.

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Vergne had an unusual off at Turn 1 during the session, as he bailed on the corner and instead decided to venture down the escape road. He later did the same, kicking up dust when finding the limits of the two-mile course. The two-time champ also had an off-track moment in first practice yesterday evening when he missed the corner at Turn 11. He wasn’t alone — the NIO 333 of Dan Ticktum had an identical incident and went on the grass, with Robin Frijns also taking to the grass in his ABT CUPRA.

Taking to the grass 👀@JeanEricVergne goes off-track at turn 11 in FP2. A section a few drivers are struggling to find their limits with 🤔@southwire #PortlandEPrix pic.twitter.com/yZmMvrDpfP

— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) June 24, 2023

Championship contender Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) had to take evasive action to avoid hitting the NIO of Sergio Sette Camara who sat on the racing line at Turn 11 with a few minutes left to go. He was given a black and white flag for impeding Dennis.

At the end of the session, three of the championship contenders sat in the bottom four with Dennis in 19th, Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy in 20th and Jaguar’s Mitch Evans in 21st out of 22 drivers.

UP NEXT: Qualifying, 3:40pm ET

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NEOM McLaren’s Rene Rast topped the first practice session of the Southwire Portland E-Prix fastest, as the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship broke several series records on the Portland International Raceway circuit.

Rast, who has not been in the top five in any practice session this season, set a time of 1m09.054s which put him quickest of the field of 22 drivers. The DS Penske of Jean-Eric Vergne was just 0.172s behind him to finish second, with the NIO 333 of Dan Ticktum completing the top three.

Jaguar TCS Racing’s Sam Bird lined up in fourth, and the winner last time out in Jakarta, Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther finished in fifth.

As the grid got to grips with the two-mile natural terrain road course, the times tumbled with seconds being taken off each lap, and just minutes into the session the McLaren of Rast became the first driver to break Sacha Fenestraz’s all-time Formula E average speed record. Maserati MSG Racing’s Edoardo Mortara then recorded the first 100mph average lap in Formula E history.

Several drivers found the limits and exceeded them in this first practice session of the weekend, with the likes of Vergne and Ticktum each taking a journey off the circuit over the 30-minute session, although this didn’t stop them finishing top three.

Mahindra Racing’s Lucas di Grassi has had a rollercoaster season so far. The Season 3 champion started the season with pole position and third place in Mexico City but hasn’t achieved a single championship point since then. However, he will be pleased with his and the team’s pace in FP1, as he topped the timesheets for most of the session and finished in 10th.

The Jaguar TCS Racing of Mitch Evans hit a 171.9mph top speed on his final flying lap of the session, an impressive stat to accompany Jaguar’s Sam Bird who also became the first driver to break a speed of 275km/h (171mph) for the first time Formula E history.

UP NEXT: Free Practice 2, 1:30pm ET

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The inaugural Southwire Portland E-Prix at fast and flowing Portland International Raceway will provide a new set of challenges for the Formula E teams and their Gen3 electric race cars from the street courses that the series regularly race on. Energy management will be crucial, as drivers won’t have the usual assortment of 90-degree corners found on street circuits to regenerate and harvest energy for their cars, which have 350KW of power, are capable of 200mph and can regen a staggering 600KWh of energy. The circuit also offers atypical operating conditions for the series’ spec Hankook tires.

“The race in Portland is held at a permanent racetrack for a change. With this in mind, we are expecting far less dirt than we have seen at some other races this season. That will allow the Hankook iON Race to exploit its high level of grip even better, and above all faster, and to offer the drivers optimal support out on the track,” said Hankook Motorsport Director Manfred Sandbichler. “The temperature is expected to be lower than at the doubleheader in Jakarta, which means the teams will need a different setup for the Gen3 cars, in order to get the tires into their optimal working range.”

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Nico Müller of the ABT CUPRA team feels the characteristics of the Portland track will help demonstrate the versatility of the series’ all-weather tires — a specification aimed at furthering Formula E’s sustainability goals.

“The Hankook iON Race is a very efficient tire. You can immediately feel that the roll resistance is very low, which is really important in Formula E, in order to save energy during the race,” the Swiss driver noted. “Furthermore, the tire works very well in any condition, which I find extremely impressive.

“In Formula E, there is just one tire for all situations. Whether the track is dry, wet, damp, or dirty, the Hankook iON Race always performs impressively. We do almost all the sessions on a weekend with the same set of tires, and the wear is still very low. That is particularly good for the environment.

“I find the all-around capabilities of the tire really pleasing,” Müller continued. “We cope very well with the tire at every race weekend, as we showed with a one-two in the rainy qualifying in Berlin.”

Phil Charles, technical manager for Jaguar TCS Racing which fields drivers Mitch Evans and Sam Bird, is particularly looking forward to seeing what kind of show the Formula E cars can put on at Portland.

“It promises to be a super high-speed track. It features two of the longest straights we’ve had on this season’s calendar, which will require our drivers to hit that breaking point correctly,” he said. “Turns 4-6 offer corner-to-corner action, so that will be a really exciting part of the lap. Compared to the normal street surfaces we’re used to, Portland International Raceway provides a good, flat surface to race on. Expect to see lots of overtakes, lots of slipstreams, and a really tactical race.”

Portland’s 12th round of the 2023 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is set for 5:00pm local time on Saturday, June 24. The race airs live on CBS Sports Network with coverage starting at 7:30pm ET.

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